What made our wedding offbeat: Complete pirate wedding. Guest were not allowed on the ship without costume. We even had back up cheesy costumes if someone dared, but everyone really did it up! The whole wedding and reception was on the pirate ship (three hour tour, lol) and then we went to the bar at our hotel.

We did have our reverend speak in pirate lingo, but the wording was still very meaningful — never did I think we would have people cry in our ceremony, come on, we are dressed as pirates! But we did Then the ship fired off two black powder cannons after the "I do's"… I mean the "Arrrrr's!" It was really cool.

We did have a ring warming at the sign in table which was a nice way to introduce religion and prayer for guests who would have been upset at the idea of no mention of God and no bible readings in the wedding. People really liked it a lot. We had a bridesman and groomswoman– which is so commonplace now, is it offbeat?

Our biggest challenge:
MOLLIE: Making our wedding piradical and not fifth grade birthday party and do it on a budget. It's a fine line. It's really in the little details and you have to watch it. No skull and crossbones plates and cups — go with silver or gold. I used the plastic silverware that looks like real silver and people loved it. Buy fake pearls not white beads. Buy chocolate gold coins that look like real pirate coins and not US mint coins. I found tons of things that I wanted to use in the wedding that I didn't. Just because it has a skull and crossbones/pirate on it doesn't mean you HAVE to use it. Think movie set… it helps. The internet is your greatest friend in finding cool themed stuff. Become one with Etsy.

SCOTT: I agree with Mollie, the biggest challenge was making sure this was not cheesy. What we were aiming for was an 'elegant pirate wedding.' The real challenge was conveying that idea to our guests. Our solution was to make the invitations to get that point across by making them as beautiful and 'piradical' as possible. It was definetly effective as all our guests really got an idea of where we were going with everything and stepped it up when it came to their costumes.

My favorite moment: MOLLIE: Moments actually.

I loved hearing about what people were wearing to my wedding. It was great! People were so excited to get dressed up for the wedding that I can't tell you how many picture messages, emails, and facebook posts I received on just that. It went on for months before the wedding too… some people changed their outfit two or three times before settling on the one for the wedding. And whether they spent a fortune or made it out of stuff in their closet — it meant so much to me that everyone looked so great and that people cared. We even did a costume contest (Dad picked) because we knew there was going to be some killer costumes there and wanted to make a big deal about them.

SCOTT: I really enjoyed standing on the bow of the ship and looking down at the dock and seeing 100 of our closest friends and family, crowded around, all dressed to the nines, anxiously awaiting their chance to get on the ship. It was a very cool moment I wish Mollie could have witnessed with me.

My offbeat advice: When it comes to the day of the wedding… just… let… go. There is nothing more you can do and no amount of running around and freaking out is going to fix anything. You will only ruin the memories of the day and drive everyone around you crazy. If your flowers aren't there yet your day will go on and will be beautiful with or without flowers. It will all come together in the end, enjoy.

As far as being offbeat, well the fact that your guests are at your wedding should be a pretty good indicator that they know you well… so don't worry about what they think — they are expecting you to be you anyway.

Care to share a few vendor/shopping links?:

Mollie's Dress — Was custom made by a dear friend, Luis Ortiz (Pirate with sweet eye patch in photos). If you are interested in having Luis put your wedding dream dress together, please contact Mollie through Offbeat Bride Tribe and she will help you get in contact.

This is so cool! I love that it was whimsical, but still very elegant. It's a hard balance sometimes and it looks like you guys really achieved the desired effect. Beautiful! And I am in love with the bride's outfit <3

My fiance and I are planing a pirate wedding here in Washington for ourselves. Im so inspired by your pictures and your wedding! You both look like you had a lot of fun and your family joining in on the theme is exactly what we hope for here too. Got wedding extras you want to unload? Im you girl!

What a lovely wedding. Your remarks on theme may help me illustrate to my FH how a theme can be executed properly. Your ring warming at the sign in table inspired me. I was trying to figure out how to do a ring warming with out it taking to long.
Also, your dress is a work of art, I really had a fine time analyzing the details. Plus, I love corsets.

What a fantastic wedding! I love how you were able to bring in the personalness. (I love Etsy too:) and I just know you had a wedding that everyone talked about for weeks at their workplace….Thanks for sharing.

of course! the little skull and crossbones on that back was such a cool little "touch" and i really think the whole design of the necklace… it just worked perfect. lol, i think it's funny that your necklace is the only gold tone jewelry i own… so i'm going to have to buy another…. hmmmm maybe the one with the BIG skull and crossbones.

We got our koozies and they look great!! I wanted to tell you that you are the only vendor involved in our wedding that did what they said they were going to do, did it right and got our products here before the date promised. And to top it off, we never even spoke to you. All we did is order online and it was done. You guys rock!!! Thanks a bunch, Nichole and Monte

Mollie & Scott~ Your wedding was one of the most amazing experiences ever! Patrick & I had a great time, and feel honored to have taken part in such a unique wedding. The atmosphere, the setting, the place, the food, the friends & costumes were simply amazing…it felt like we had gone back in time! We love you both and hope for many happy years for the two of you, filled with love and adventure!–

thanks shelly! you're the sweetest. it meant so much to us that you were there. with the arrival of Kendyal (sp?) and one of the toughest nights for pat to leave the bar… it meant so much to have you. not to mention you two looked so amazing! i thought your outfit was one of the best on the ship. i'm so glad my dad was in charge of the contest. i would have never been able to pick. xoxo – see ya soon!

Clearwater, my hometown <3 <3 What an awesome idea! I love that pirate ship, it's the coolest thing to see as a kid playing on the beach! Oddly enough, I've never been on it! You and your guests looked amazing!

I really love how you combined a classy wedding in style with this cool pirate theme. I've had 2 of my necklace and earring sets on etsy made for weddings, but I never got to see the wedding. This is just awesome. Hats of you to you! Hardy..har..har.

Clearwater, my hometown <3 <3 What an awesome idea! I love that pirate ship, it's the coolest thing to see as a kid playing on the beach! Oddly enough, I've never been on it! You and your guests looked amazing!

NOT ENOUGH WORDS TO DESCRIBE HOW INCREDIBLE & OUTSIDE THE BOX. iF MY DAUGHTER HAD SEEN THIS MONTHS AGO HER WEDDING AT THE ZOO WOULD HAVE FALLEN BY THE WAYSIDE. i'M SURE EVERYONE HAD A BLAST!!! hAVE A SUPER MARRIAGE !!

They are Dolce and Gabbana… I hunted for them for a very long time and found them on EBAY by chance. Lucky for me, they were a couple seasons old… so I could afford them… but they were still my big splurge item of the wedding…

Hello Mollie,
Ive been working on a pirate wedding, and seem to have everything under control (delusional? hahaha) except invitations. What did you end up doing for yours? I'm having a really difficult time finding anything I can order online, and with so many options to wade through, I've had a difficult time finding anything suitable that I dont need to completely DIY. Your invitations look fantastic, did you have a local printer do them up? Did you do them yourself?
Thanks much!

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Comment

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

No-drama comment policy

Part of what makes the Offbeat Empire different is our commitment to civil, constructive commenting. Make sure you're familiar with our no-drama comment policy.

Biz owners & wedding bloggers

Please just use your real name in your comment, not your business name or blog title. Our comments are not the place to pimp your website. If you want to promote your stuff on Offbeat Bride, join us as an advertiser instead.